"Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition" at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences closes Sunday, April 28, and throughout the final months, the museum has planned special events to attract Titanic enthusiasts, history buffs and those curious and fascinated by the "ship of dreams."

Once inside the exhibit, visitors can follow that fateful voyage, take on the identity of a passenger, touch an "iceberg," and see more than 200 artifacts recovered from the broken ship's debris field two-and-a-half miles beneath the surface.

Before exiting, guests can take their boarding pass to the memorial wall and discover whether their passenger and traveling companions survived or perished.

The museum is open late on Thursdays and First Fridays until 9 p.m., giving visitors even more opportunities to take in the exhibit at a discounted price off adult admission after 5 p.m. Friday.

On St. Patrick's Day, Sunday, March 17, at 2 p.m., author Julie Hedgepeth Williams returns to give a special talk in the Museum's Daily Planet Cafe.

Williams, a Raleigh native, is the great-niece of Albert Caldwell, who survived the Titanic with his wife, Sylvia, and their son. Her book, "A Rare Titanic Family," tells their story and details the unusual circumstances that led them to be on board the ship.

Her talk will be followed by a question-and-answer session, and guests can buy her book. The talk is free, however. The cafe will offer St. Patrick's Day-themed food and drink specials that day, as well as the entire week prior.

The anniversary of the Titanic's sinking falls during the run of the exhibit, and the museum plans to have special programming to commemorate the 101st anniversary of the tragedy. The Titanic sank between 11:40 p.m. on April 14 and 2:20 a.m. April 15, 1912.

The museum will also have extended hours during the final two weekends of the exhibit.

Tickets are $14 for adults; $11 for seniors (65+), students and military; $9 for children (3-12); $8 for museum members; $11 on Thursdays and First Friday.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit or call the box office at (919) 707-9950.

The final three weeks of the exhibit will include late hours. For more information, contact Emelia Cowans at (919) 707-9837 or Emelia.Cowans@natural sciences.org.